Eight men escaped alive after the blast. A. L. Ross and L. S. King were burned about the face and hands and badly gassed. They owe their lives to Vic Bain and Tony Canrinker, who placed the injured men in a mine car and signaled to have it drawn from the mine, but the apparatus was damaged by the explosion and failed to function. Bain and Canrinker then carried Ross and King toward the entrance of the mine until they encountered fresh air. Others rescued were B. W. Hall, Ole Swenson, Roy Story and Frank Hensley.
Five Miners Killed in Utah Mine Explosion; Eight are Rescued
Ogden Standard Examiner, Utah
March 9, 1930
Salt Lake City, Mar. 8. -- (AP) -- Five men were killed in an explosion in the Peerless Coal Company's mine near Castle Gate, Utah, late today, officials of the concern were advised here tonight. Eight men escaped alive after the blast. Five bodies were taken from the mine shortly after the explosion.
The dead:
Clement Turner, Wellington, Utah, married, two children
Daniel Turner, Wellington, Utah, married, two children
Leeter Curtis, Heiner, Utah, married, four children
William Curtis, Heiner, Utah, married
James Jensen, Helper, Utah, married, two children
Those rescued alive were:
A. L. Ross
Tony Canrinker
B. W. Hall
L. S. King
Ole Swenson
Roy Story
Frank Hensley
Vic Bain
A. L. Ross and L. S. King were burned about the face and hands and badly gassed. They owe their lives to Vic Bain and Tony Canrinker, who placed the injured men in a mine car and signaled to have it drawn from the mine, but the apparatus was damaged by the explosion and failed to function. Bain and Canrinker then carried Ross and King toward the entrance of the mine until they encountered fresh air.
Gas filled the mine immediately after the explosion, the cause of which was not determined. Those who escaped were working nearer the entrance than the five men who lost their lives, giving them a chance to escape before the fumes flooded the workings.
A night shift of miners was ready to enter the shaft when the blast occurred. Had the explosion been 30 minutes later the toll of life would have been much greater.
